Look But Don't Touch
by Kavi Leighanna
Summary: Sometimes what you want is unattainable, but sometimes, maybe, just maybe, all you have to do is ask.


**Look But Don't Touch**

**Summary:** Sometimes what you want is unattainable, but sometimes, maybe, just maybe, all you have to do is ask.****

**Pairing:** Sue/Jack****

**Rating:** PG max. Nothing dirty in this one, not even a swear word.****

**Disclaimer:** If I owned them, I would be writing this into the script, not on here. It belongs to PAX et al.****

**Author's Note:** This comes after seeing the preview for Saturday's episode (I watch it on CTV). I just thought that it was most likely that there'd be a whole bunch of Sue/Jack friendly scenes and decided it was high time there was a complete story! Furthermore, characters might be OOC… sorry about that.

-

He watched her constantly, not that he'd ever outright admit it. The team thought it was a mentor-apprentice sort of relationship, or at most a brother-sister one, but he knew better. He knew he'd always had issues surrounding Sue Thomas, ever since he'd met her and she'd become part of their team. She was an invaluable member, not only to the team, but as a person.

To him.

He knew she'd caught him more than once. He was pretty sure she knew he watched her even when she wouldn't look up. It was an uncanny ability of hers, either that or a sense to make up for her lost hearing. It didn't matter, really. The point was, she knew, and she didn't say anything. He took that as an okay to continue to do it, since she didn't seem to mind.

When she did catch him, the reaction was indescribable.

She'd give him this little knowing smile, telling him that she'd caught him before turning back to what she was doing, a sparkle in her eye. Sometimes, he'd let her catch him, just to see the smile and the sparkle. It was the little moments he lived for.

It was a policy thing, he kept telling himself, something that said he couldn't have her because he worked with her. Damn the rules. It was clichéd, it was unfair… it was just depressing. He'd seen it before, the forbidden agent romance and he had to admit, he was hopeless. Sure, they're had been other women, but he always ended up comparing them to her, measuring then against her. Part of him hated himself for doing that, for putting those women into these situations but he couldn't help it, really. He didn't want to judge them against her, it just happened. He loved her and he knew it.

But it was how to tell her that was the problem.

He had all of these scenarios planned out in his head but he'd never actually go through with them. That wasn't to say he hadn't heard Lucy and Tara talking about Valentine's day or Bobby and D talking about special things they were going to do for a wife or girlfriend, in fact, he'd had the urge to ask Sue if she was doing something all day, but hadn't. The sound of his computer brought him out of his musings and he searched the screen for the origin. It turned out Tara had sent him an e-mail.

Why, he couldn't fathom.

He opened the window anyway and found bold letters, capitalized, just in case he was too stupid to get the point.__

_Jack,_

_Lucy says Sue isn't doing anything for Valentine's Day. You might want to change that. _

Then another one showed up.__

_Don't look at your screen like that, I know you've had your eye on her. _

He smiled. Always like Tara to cut right to the chase with these, though he was pretty sure Lucy had a significant hand in the e-mails. Especially since Tara was looking at the woman as if to say, "I'm done. Happy?" Lucy looked rather satisfied with herself.

Sue was busy, bent over her computer and he took a moment to just admire her. It was the little things about her that made him smile. The crinkle she got in her nose when she concentrated, or the scowl she wore when she was unhappy with something, for example. These were little things that he noticed every once in a while that always had him more distracted than he would have liked. Tara cleared her throat and the whole office looked up, Levi, out of reflex putting his paw on Sue's knee. Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her unsubtle attempt to get him to hurry up.

"Tara? Something up?" D asked, noticing that Tara didn't look up, but was typing furiously at her computer. Jack heard the familiar chime of e-mail.__

Look, she's upset that she has no plans, Jack. She wants to do something for Valentine's Day and to tell you the truth, she's loved you for a while.

Immediately, his hackles went up, not because he didn't want to ask her, not because Tara was pushing him to do something but because of everything else that kept them apart. The rules drove him nuts. Prying teammates, though they meant well, drove him nuts. But that's when he noticed it. She'd caught him staring, again, but the smile on her face wasn't the usual secretive or teasing smile he saw and the spark that resided in her eyes wasn't there. He was immediately worried. He stood and walked over to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up, confused as to why he'd come over and not just ask Levi to get her attention. The concern she saw on his face told her much. He motioned to the door and she nodded, standing and grabbing her coat.

"We're going for a walk," he said, following Sue out of the building.

-

The February wind was chilly as they walked away from the office and into a little park. He noticed Sue look around discretely before grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling him up against her. He knew what was coming and wrapped his arms around her waist, capturing her lips with his. When they eventually broke the kiss, for lack of air, both smiled.

"Do you think they know?" he signed to her, something she'd taken to teaching him constantly. It was so much fun to talk without anyone knowing what they were saying. She shook her head.

"Lucy was telling me about her Valentine's Day plans this morning…" she trailed off, having actually spoken the words.

"We have plans, don't we?" he asked, capturing her chin in his hand. She smiled brilliantly, the sparkle coming back. He looked at her intently.

"You think I'd forget?" he inquired. She hung her head. He hugged her tight but pulled back to tell her the next words.

"With you, I'd never forget Valentine's Day."

"Everything changes when you're not sure…" He raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"You weren't sure if I wanted to spend the most romantic day of the year with you?" When he put it like that it sounded so juvenile that she blushed terribly. He chuckled and pulled her tight again. After a few moments of enjoying the feel of being together, they pulled back.

"We should tell them you know," she said, taking his hand as they wandered down the street. He shrugged.

"You were awfully quiet this morning," she tried again. "Everything okay?"

"I keep wondering what would happen if we got caught. It would be career damaging for both of us." Sue rolled her eyes affectionately. He'd pulled this up on her on more than one occasion and every time she told him the same thing.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me." She stopped, slightly hurt. She didn't want to read into it, she didn't in case that wasn't what he meant, but it hurt nonetheless. He faced her and took both of her hands.

"That's not what I meant. I love you, Sue, and I know ho much your career means to you. Its not fair to make you give up what you love doing and to give you a black mark like that—"

"Wait!" she stopped him. "What did you just say?" He went over his sentences quickly, stopping on the three words he'd allowed to slip. He sighed.

"That wasn't how I was planning to tell you," he whispered, not really caring, knowing she couldn't hear him. She did understand though and smiled brilliantly.

"It doesn't matter," she repeated. He opened her mouth to contradict her again. She stopped him with her fingers against his mouth.

"Look, Jack. When you love a person, which is more than obvious and more than I could have asked for, you do silly things because you want to protect them or because you want to make sure you stay with them."

"What are you saying?"

"I already explained things to the director. I already told him that we've had more than a professional relationship and more than a friendship for the last six months and he was surprised. He didn't know, he'd never realized, and the team doesn't know. He was impressed." She stopped.

"And?" He was curious now. Worried? Definitely, but curious.

"He said he'd pull a couple of strings. We're not going to be separated, Jack. He even said it might be good for some of the missions. Now we don't have to pretend to be a married couple, we don't have to pretend to be a couple…" He silenced her as he kissed her, pulling her flush against him, every possible plane of her body touching his. She fell into the kiss willingly, wrapping her arms securely around his neck. They broke apart again, smiling stupidly.

"I love you," he said to her.

"And I love you," she answered. He grinned wider.

"What do you say we go grab some lunch? It's almost noon." She smiled and agreed.

Whoever said you can look but don't touch, was sadly mistaken.

* * *

And this SO didn't turn out the way I'd planned. If anyone's read my NCIS fic **Perfect**, I meant for the story to be more like that. It turned out this way instead… sorry! Hope you enjoyed anyway.

Kavi Leighanna


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